URL shorteners and Analytics

URL shorteners which had humble beginnings a few years ago, have now become mainstream with many companies entering the fray & providing a host of functions like analytics, customized URL's & others. They help trim lengthy addresses, track the traffic & what users do once they get there. Some of the URl shorteners include bit.ly, goo.gl & others. Many top brands & services also use their own names in the shortened URL. They allow users to customize and update their shortened links to be public and private. Some of the other data available through them include referrers, browsers, platforms & others along with the time period with high clicks. URL shorteners have also become problematic when scammers use them to hide bad links. Many analytical vendors have also started including URL shorteners in metrics reporting.